Isleham InformerNo.8 June 2004

www.isleham-informer.org.uk e-mail: mail@isleham-informer.org.ukPublished by the Isleham Parish Council

Litter Rules, OK>Ian Powys has been taking a few photographs of thecentre of our village. The photographs speak forthemselves.

Isleham would never win a prize for the best kept village.On the other hand, we stand a good chance of beingawarded with the dirtiest village prize. The Informer hasreceived quite a lot of comments thanking us forhighlighting the dog fouling problems in Isleham and thatfollowing our articles there has been a very substantialimprovement. How long it will last is a different matter.Remember that if you see a dog fouling or an ownerletting it foul, REPORT IT to the police or the ParishCouncil so that action may be taken. The law will hit theowner where it hurts - their pocket.

Following receiving a number of complaints about litterwe hope that a feature on this problem will raiseawareness and cause the messy individuals to think aboutwhat they are doing. To put the issue into perspective, afew weeks ago a couple of Islehamites went to Germanyfor a few days. On crossing the border from France thedifference in litter was almost unbelievable. France waspretty dirty but, in Germany, there was no litter. Onpassing through small German villages there was not evena sweet wrapper to be seen. It was obvious that theGermans take a pride in the cleanliness of their villages ina way that Isleham does not. How's this for a postcardphoto of our village green?

Isleham Village Green

The disgusting mess has nothing to do with the new"Bamboo Garden" owners. It is symptomatic of lazy litterlouts in the village - but then maybe their own livingrooms and bedrooms look like these photographs? Whatthe hell is the matter with the parents of these folk? Howabout this photo taken on a different day? The black thingis the litter bin on the Village Green. How is it possible forpeople to be so bone idle?

Litter bins are alien to litter louts

We can expect that the warmer weather and lighter nightsover the next few weeks will encourage the litter louts outand about and so we can expect even more mess. Litterbins in the village are often surrounded by garbage thatpeople are just too lazy to scrunch up and put in the bin!

So, what is the answerto these slobs? Whyshould it be necessaryfor Priory Garage toregularly clean up themess left by othersoutside their premises?

We asked IPC for aresponse on the litterissue but we have yet toreceive a reply. Whenwe are informed of whatwe can do about thisdepressing matter wewill let you know. Village Green bench

Warning!Many of you will be visiting Spain this year. Do not takeloads of cash. Spain is currently suffering from a serioustheft problem. The Spanish police claim that easternEuropean immigrants are going round pubs, clubs,restaurants and bars in pairs and stealing wallets, pursesand handbags. They do not distract people and then stealsince they would be recognised too often. Instead, theywait for people to be distracted and then steal from them.We know because one of your editors was a recent victimwhile paying at a restaurant.

Remember that holiday insurance normally only coversyou for up to £250 cash!!!!

Contents Did You Read.1. Cover article. Litter Rules, OK?3. Brownies and Rhinos; Isleham Society4. Smile6. Re-enactment feature7. Chris Goodwins retires8. IPC News9. In the Sky. An update on what to see

10. Isleham Churches News; The way it was11. Paul Chaplin's stolen stamp collection12. Competitions; Isleham Under 5's13. Your Letters14. St Andrew's roof restoration15. Joyce's Corner; Buggy challenge16. Sports Report

Contact InformationYou may contact the Informer and send letters, articles,information, complaints, etc. through our email address at:

mail@isleham-informer.org. ukComplaints may also be sent to the IPC via YvonneBishop at the Post Office. Advertising enquiries should bemade to Ian Humphreys on 01638 781796. Articles shouldbe taken to or sent to Tony Ferrige, 9 Church Street(opposite the church). Tony may be contacted on 01638780973. You may fax us on 01638 780962 but please tryto send material by e-mail to reduce our burden of typing.

Arthur's SnippetsArthur has provided the following snippets.

Shrewsbury Manor at Little Isleham was situated on theWest side of Isleham near the boundaries of Fordham andIsleham. A Mr Lane and his Wife came to see me, fromVictoria, British Columbia, where they have a hotel. Hebought the title of Lord of the Manor from Kings College,Cambridge and he paid £5500 for it.

Little Isleham is where my brother Bill and 1 found thelargest Bronze Age hoard ever to be found in WesternEurope. The hoard was over 3000 years old. My brotherand I gave the hoard to Moyses Hall Museum at Bury StEdmunds as a gift. There was a Church there called StNicholas and the last preacher to serve there was aChristopher Green who was buried inside St AndrewsChurch in Isleham in 1523.1 don't know what happened toLittle Isleham and its villagers. They could have moved tohigher ground or maybe they were wiped out by theplague. Nobody knows.

Lost!On April 23rd this year (St. George's Day if you areEnglish), a Cuckoo was heard sounding its tune. Later onthat day, a police car was spotted in Mill Street. Obviouslyboth had lost their bearings.

A Child's ViewWhat do you think your mum and dad have in common?

"Both don't want any more kids." - Lori, age 8

Did you read the following note in the DailyTelegraph?

Commenting on a complaint from a Mr Arthur Purdeyabout a large gas bill, a spokesman for North WestGas said, "We agree it was rather high for the time ofyear. It's possible Mr Purdey has been charged forthe gas used up during the explosion that destroyedhis house."

Desperate for HelpThe Isleham Informer is desperate for some more help onthe editorial team. The reason for the very late arrival ofyour Informer is that other urgent commitments havedelayed putting it together for the printer by more than aweek.

We need someone that is very familiar with MicrosoftWord to help with getting the articles together and theediting. You will even be asked to take over this role attimes of crisis. Fortunately, crises are rare! If you can helpus, do please contact either Ian Humphreys on 01638781796 or Tony Ferrige on 01638 780973. Alternatively,you may email us at: mail@isleham-informer.org.uk.

Isleham Gala 2004In the Village, For the Village, Children First

It is not too late....for you to rent a stall or pitch. The Gala Committeewant as many stalls as possible at this year's Gala to helpmake it even better and more interesting. They wouldtherefore would like to hear from anyone who would like

to book a stall.

Whether you are a club,society, association, etc. oran individual, they wouldlike you to give them a call.

At last year's Gala, manystall holders sold out reallyquickly and, especially forthe Clubs and Societies, itwas a great way to raisefunds.

If you are interested inrenting a stall or pitch on Gala Day, please contactRoseanna Allan on 01638 780994 for a booking form.

DisclaimerWhilst every effort is made by Isleham Parish Council andthe Informer Editorial Team to ensure that the interpretationand content of the information contained in this publication iscorrect, the Isleham Parish Council and the Informer EditorialTeam cannot be held liable for any consequential actionbased on this information.

1st ISLEHAM BROWNIESLinda Ellis reports that the 1st Isleham Browniesrecently went on a trip to Woburn Safari Park thatturned out to be quite an adventure. A report of thateventful day, written by some of the Brownies, is asfollows:

RHINO RAGEOn our trip to Woburn we all had an adventure, itstarted when our coach got stuck in the mud near tothe rhinos.

The rhinos wanted to charge at the coach with usinside it, but the rangers were there to help us. Afterseveral attempts to get us out of the mud the rangersdecided that it would be safer for us all to get off thecoach.

They drove a lorry right up to the side of the coachand we all got off and onto the lorry, then we weredriven past the rhinos and elephants, just like on areal safari, up to the restaurant where we weretreated to a cup of hot chocolate. We were treatedlike V.I.P's. It was a great day.

Luckily they did manage to get the coach out of themud and we did manage to have a drive around theenclosure before we left for home.

ISLEHAM SOCIETYIan Powys has sent us the following update. Pleasenote lan's plea for more members. Help keep theSociety going.

We have a new programme for the year May 2004 to April2005. It is very varied and we hope that it will attract moremembers because a society such as ours cannot longsurvive if more younger members do not becomeinterested in their village and life around us.

Visitors and guests are welcome — come and attend anevening meeting - or an outing?

On June 17th we have a talk by Terry Holloway on theHistory of Marshalls of Cambridge.

In July we have a coach outing and a conducted tour ofthe Imperial War Museum at Duxford.

There will possibly be another trip to the Moyses HallMuseum in Bury St Edmunds to see, among otherexhibits, the Bronze Age hoard discovered by ArthurHoughton here in Isleham. We may also visit the Museumof the Suffolk Regiment.

Our speaker for September will be David Chambers,talking with his slides of a recent trip to Nepal.

For further information, please call the Secretary BerylPowys on 01638 780519.

CHAIRMANMr Roynon HOWESS3: 01638780530Fax: 01638 780530

e-mail: roynonhowes@tesco.net

SECRETARYMrs B.M.POWYSm\ 01638 780519Fax: 01638 780519e-mail: powys169@enterprise.net

Priory GarageYour Local used Car Dealer

Church Street, IslehamTel: 01638 780625

Service & Repairs for All Makes & Models, MoTsOpening times: 7 a.m. - 6 p.m. Monday - Friday

7 a.m. - 4 p.m. Saturday

Used Cars in Stock NOW2003 03 Renault Laguna Dynamiquel.SDCi SportTourer in Flame Red metallic. Air con, Radio/CD player,Air bags, PAS, Alloy wheels, Electric windows, Front foglamps, Half leather, 6 speed.13000 miles. £12650

2003 03 Renault Laguna Dynamique 1.9 DCi 5 drhatch in Flame Red. Alloys, Air con, Half leather, PAS,ABS. Twin air bags, Radio/CD. 6 speed. Central locking,Electric windows, Front fogs. 13000 miles. £11995

2002 52 Renault Scenic Fidii RX4 1.9DC! in CrystalGreen. Half Leather and cloth seats, Sunroof, Radio/CD,Air con, ABS, Alloy wheels, Central locking, Electricwindows. Low mileage at 17000 miles. £12995

2002 52 Renault Megane 1.4 Dynamique 16V 5drin Ink Blue metallic. Alloys, PAS, ABS, Air con, CD, Centlocking. Low mileage at 7500 miles. £8995

2002 52 Renault Laguna 2.0 16V Dynamique 5drin Odyssey Blue metallic. All the extras inc. ABS, PAS,Air con, Alloys, Half leather. 24000 miles. £9995

2002 02 Renault Megane Scenic Expression + Deiin metallic Gold. PAS, ABS, Front fog, Radio cassette +CD changer, Electric windows, 29000 miles. £9995

2002 02 Renault Clio 1.2 16v Expression + 3dr inmetallic Silver. PAS, Central locking, Air con, Radiocassette. Only 12000 miles. £6495

2001 51 Renault Espace Grand The Race in metalicSilver. 2.2 Turbo Diesel 5sp. All the extras + 7 seats.FSH. Low mileage at 25000. £14650

2001 Y Renault Scenic 1.6 Auto Dynamqiue inmetallic Silver. Half leather, Alloys, Climate Control, ABS,PAS, Front fogs., etc. Low Mileage at 16000. £8250

2001 Y Renault Megane 1.4 16v Expression inAscort Green metallic. Air con, ABS, PAS, Central locking,Electric windows. FSH. Only 19000 miles. £5750

2000 V Ford Focus Zetec 1.8 5dr hatch in metallicBlue. ABS, PAS. FSH. 50000 miles.. £6250

1997 R Renault Scenic 1.6 in White. Air con, Electricwindows, PAS, ABS, Radio cassette, Central locking,Front fog lamps, FSH. 77000 miles.. £3995

1997 P Fiat Punto 55s 3 dr hatch in White. £1795

1996 P Land Rover Discovery XS TDi 2.5 in metallicRed. 7 Seat's, Half Leather, Alloys. 62000 miles. £7995

2003 53 Italjet Millenium lOOcc super scooter inGold metallic. Ex display stock. Our price £1600

Smile Useful Phone NumbersThis time we have received two "dumb blonde" jokesfrom Mike Kenny and Louise Doyle. We hope that ourIsleham blondes, who do not fall into this category, willfind them amusing.

Trip to MelbourneA plane was on its way to Melbourne when a blondein economy class got up, moved to first class and satdown. The flight attendant saw her do this and askedto see her ticket. She told the blonde passenger thatshe'd paid for economy and that she had to go back.

The blonde replied, "I'm blonde, I'm beautiful, I'mgoing to Melbourne and I'm staying right here!"

The flight attendant went into the cockpit and told thepilot and co-pilot that there was some blonde bimbositting in first class that belonged in economy andwould not move back to her seat. The co-pilot wentback to the blonde and tried to explain that becauseshe had only paid for an economy seat she wouldhave to leave and return to her original seat.

The blonde replied, "I'm blonde, I'm beautiful, I'mgoing to Melbourne and I'm staying right here!"

Exasperated the co-pilot told the pilot that it was nouse and that he probably should have the policewaiting on landing to arrest this blonde that won'tlisten to reason. The pilot said, "You say she'sblonde? I'll handle this, I'm married to a blonde, and Ispeak blonde!" He went back to the blonde,whispered in her ear and she said, "Oh, I'm sorry - Ihad no idea." She got up and moved back to her seatin the economy section. The flight attendant and co-pilot are amazed and asked him what he had said tomake her move without any fuss.

The Pilot replied, "Simple, I just told her that firstclass wasn't going to Melbourne."

Blonde CopA blonde female police officer pulled over a blondewoman speeding in a convertible sports car. Shewalked up to the car and asked the blonde for herdriver's license. The blonde convertible driversearched through her purse but couldn't find it.Finally she asked, "What does it look like?" Theblonde police officer told her, "It's that thing with yourpicture on it."

The blonde driver searched for a few more seconds,pulled out her compact, opened it and, sure enough,saw herself. She handed the compact to the blondepolice officer. After a few seconds looking at thecompact, the blonde cop rolled her eyes, handed thecompact back to the blonde convertible driver andsaid, "If you had told me you were a police officerwhen I first pulled you over we could have avoidedthis whole thing."

As always, we need jokes. If you know any that we canuse, please send them to us.

Emergency for Police, Fire, AmbulancePolice (Cambs.)

Accident & Casualty (Addenbrooke's)Addenbrooke's Hospital (Cambridge)Newmarket HospitalWest Suffolk (Bury St Edmunds)Staploe Medical Centre (Soham)

AppointmentsPrescriptions & DispensaryEnquiries, Home Visits, Emergencies

Minor Treatment Centre, ElyNHS Direct (for advice)

Electricity EmergenciesGas EmergenciesWater & Sewage EmergenciesSocial Services - office hours

- out of hours emergency

Refuse CollectionRSPCA

Citizens Advice Bureau - Ely- Mildenhall- Newmarket

Isleham Village Hall (Paul Chaplin)

Mobile Library

Parish Council (Yvonne Bishop: Clerk)Member of Parliament (Jim Paice)Isleham Informer (Paul Chaplin)

(Kate Coe)(Ian Humphreys)(Karl Bates)(Tony Ferrige)

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Next CMsThe various Committee meetings will be held on thefollowing dates.

Parish Council: Monday, 5th July 2004.Monday, 2nd August 2004.

Anyone is welcome to attend the meetings. Parishionersmay raise any issue between 7.00-7.30 p.m. All meetingstake place in the room at the back of the Village Hall.

Comrades Club: 8.00 p.m. on Monday, 14th June.8.00 p.m. on Monday 12th July.

Anyone including non-members is welcome to attend themeeting from 8.00-8.30 p.m. to raise any issue.

Gala Committee: 8.00 p.m. on Monday, 21s' June

All Gala Committee meetings are held at the ComradesClub. Anyone is welcome. If you can help us with thisyear's Gala Day, even if it only for the day, please comealong to the meeting on 21st June.

Included with this Informer should be a copy of theGALA Program. If yours is missing, please collect oneup from the newsagents or post office.

OPYThe deadlines for copy for the August issue are as follows.Anything arriving later than the dates below will be heldover to a later issue.

Non-advertisersArticles, contributions and letters:Prearranged articles/features:

AdvertisersChanges to regular adverts:

14th July19th July

23rd July

Your Informer will normally be sent to the printer on theworking day nearest to 24th of the month. This will givejust sufficient time for it to be distributed within a day ortwo of the end of each month. By special arrangementchanges can be made to advertisements even later butplease try to conform to our deadlines.

Regular AdvertisersIan Humphreys is currently contacting all our advertisers.You may contact him on 01638 781796 to discuss futureadvertising and rates.

Please remember that for non-business advertising

Lineage Advertisements are FREE! Pleasecontact Ian Humphreys on 01638 781796 to place your ad.

Sometimes BiggerWe are pleased to report that your Informer willoccasionally have more pages. IPC have said that theInformer can have as many pages as we like providing weobtain extra advertising to cover the additional printingcosts. Watch out for Ian Humphreys as he will be bendingthe arms of all potential advertisers!

RESTORATION THANKSNick Carver has written to us about the St Andrew'srestoration work. See our feature on page 14.

Who can have failed to miss the appearance at the end ofFebruary of scaffolding both outside and inside the churchand its recent removal? The discovery of a permanentcolony of protected bats meant that work had to proceedearlier than expected, but this has brought the benefit ofthe work being finished earlier than expected.

On behalf of everybody at St Andrew's, I would like tothank all the organisations and individuals in the villagethat have helped us both financially and by providing moralsupport. Until all the bills come in we will not know the finalcost of the project, but we believe we are within £5,000 ofour revised target of £147,000. To raise that amount ofmoney in such a short space of time is an outstandingachievement and we hope our architect is right when hetells us that the roof should now be secure for the next 100years.

The work has brought some conservation experts to thevillage who have marvelled at the mediaeval craftsmanshipon display and we plan to have a permanent record of whatthey found available shortly so that everybody can seethese wonders for themselves."

Karma Farm8 Fen Bank, Isleham

Home Grown Natural Beef & PorkPlease call 01638 780701

or e-mail taylorfamily@freezone.co.uk

See our website: www.karmafarmisleham.co.uk

FARM FRESH EGGS1 Fen Bank, IslehamFarm on the left opposite the

road leading to Isleham Marina

Visit our stall£1.80 per dozen/90p_ a half dozen

.All types oj- Pence

and refwrbiskwent undertaken

Verandas &

garden features, Ponds

Patios,/ .Loose stone & block drives

C-ustom built timber barns & sneds

Pergodas, Decorative steel work

Walnut "Tree Farm/ T-Vickwillow T?oad

Jslekam. Tel 01638 781794

.AH major credit & debit cards taken

The Rising SunSun Street, Isleham. Tel: 01638 780471

Home cooked food served Tuesday-Sunday

No smoking dining area

Bar Snacks & Daily Specials Available

Disabled Facilities

Try our Wednesday evening super value

menu in a nice friendly atmosphere

Regular live music

l^e-enactmcntOur re-enactors have been very busy over the past fewweeks. There are two groups - Venta, who now cover the1-6* century concentrating on Romano Britain and DASwho specifically cover the 870-890 Viking period.

On 27th April the DAS group (Dark Ages Society) weregiven permission by English Heritage to use the Priory fora day of fighting and games to be following by atraditional banquet in the evening. The weather wasglorious and 25 people turned up from all over the UK ofwhich 7 were from Isleham.

Spears, swords and axes were in abundance and followingsome standard practise two sides were formed for anunscripted general free fight as shown in the photo below.No humans were hurt in the making of this event!

Traditional games ofthe period were playedduring the afternoon.One was Kubb whichis a very early form ofskittles from whichcurrent versions arederived. The game isplayed from both endsof a pitch and endswith the King beingknocked down. Thereis an annual compet-ition held in Gotland inthe Baltic that some ofthe Isleham re-enactors

attend and they actually reached the semi-final two yearsago. Another game, Kingie, is a bit like tag. A beanbag isused to throw at people. If it hits someone they becomepart of that team. The idea is to make everyone the sameteam. The Vikings were also famous for their board gamesthat many of our present games are derived from.

The Priory was an ideal place to hold their traditionalbanquet in the evening. All the dishes and drinks areauthentic for the period and, of course, the drinking horn islittle short of mandatory. It would seem that the banquetends when everyone is very happy but no one ever quiteseems to remember!

The Venta group have been giving exhibitions all over thelocal area, demonstrating and educating on braiding,spinning, writing, weapons, cooking and making coins,pottery and oil lamps. Many of their events are atmuseums, fetes and at restored sites such as those at WestStow and Hinchingbrooke. Venta displays are always verypopular with visitors and you always have to queue to seewhat they are doing and to talk to them. Each memberspecialises in a particular aspect of life at that time andthey have all become experts.

The Hinchingbrooke site

There is no doubt that what these people don't know is notworth knowing.

One thing they areparticularly fussy overis their dress, weaponsand accoutrements. Itall has to be dead right,even down to the typeof material used fortheir clothes. Trainersare a definite "No"and footwear is oftenmade to order from re-enactors markets andfairs. Venta has mem-bers of all ages fromIsleham and thesurrounding area. Relaxing at Hinchingbrooke

Inside the Priory

Forthcoming Venta events and displays are:

Saturday, 19th June: Godmanchester Roman themed funafternoon.

Saturday and Sunday, 26-2 7th June: Hillside Farm atFreckenham. It is hoped that DAS will also be there andthe forge will be operating.

Sunday, 4th July: Celts and Romans at Stonea Camp nearMarch. Cambs. Archaeological Unit open presentation.

Friday and Saturday, 16-17th July: Beck Row.

Sunday, 18th July: Wimpole Hall with Cambs.Archaeological Unit.

Sunday, 31st July: Hinchingbrook Iron Age Farm openday.

Contact the Informer if you are interested in attending anyof the events and we will provide you with full details.

At Long Last!Christopher Goodwins, our priest at St Andrew's, haswritten to us about his forthcoming retirement.

Dear Friends,

In a few months' time, on September the 20th I shall havebeen Ordained for 40 years. I will also have served herefor the past five years as Priest at Isleham, and will havereached the age of 68.

Accordingly, I need toinform you that I havewritten to the Bishop of Elyto tender my resignation,with effect from the 30th ofSeptember 2004.

The Bishop will continue tolicense me, and I will ofcourse serve here and thereoccasionally.

However, Doreen and Iwant you to know that weare very happy here, andwe will still live at 102 TheCauseway; but many of youwill recall that we did actually come here to retire, andwhile we have life and strength we want to be able to dojust that!

We would therefore like to thank you all, for yourenormous encouragement and support, and look forwardnow to the sort of retirement that we had originallyplanned, when I gave up Tamerton Foliot six years ago in1998.

Christopher Goodwins

What many of you will not know is that Christopher isalso an author and broadcaster. He has written two books.The first, published in 2001 is "The New Testament inLimerick Verse". Many years ago he had put the parablesof Jesus into limerick form, but in the five weeks beforeEaster Day 2001 he had "translated" the entire NewTestament into limerick verse.

The copy that he sent to "The Church Times" so impressedthe editor, that it received unprecedented front-pagetreatment. As a result, the Daily Telegraph followed suit.From then on, the Press Association ensured that everymajor regional and national paper in the world featured thework. Dozens of Radio and Press interviews, fromAustralia to Canada, took place in the three weeks thatfollowed, culminating in Christopher and Doreen beinginvited as special guests on Channel 4 TV's "The BigBreakfast."

Many people suggested that the Old Testament and TheApocrypha should also be published in the same sort offormat. This part of the bible took Christopher three weeksto "translate" into limericks, between the 23rd July and the15th August 2001.

Both books are in print and available from Amazon andother bookshops.

Riverside Island MarinaTel: 01638 780663 Mobile: 0797 9865157

Supplies & ServicesBottled gas and marine diesel sales

Holiday narrow boat hireSale & purchase of all types of boat

Lodge sales and holiday rentalsMoorings with electricity

New moorings available shortlyTransportation of boats by land or water

Please note that we deliverLPG bottled gas locally

New ServiceBoat valeting comprising of:

Lift out, Power spray-off,Polish hull and top, Full

Interior Clean and Service

Small Repairs UndertakenOil changes, filters, etc., etc.

Prices on application

Mumford Roofing

Roofing, Tiling & Slating

Free Quotation & Advice

ALL WORK GUARANTEED

Mark Mumford7 Malting Lane

Isleham, Cambs. CB7 5RZ

Tel/Fax: 01638 781252Mobile: 07976 619560

Parish Council NewsThe following is an abbreviated and incomplete version of theIPC minutes for the 5' April meeting. Please remember thatany parishioner may request a copy of the full minutes fromIPC.

Police Matters: PC Humble did not attend the meeting andno police report was submitted.

C.Cllr Report: The Clerk had received a copy letter from C.Cllr. Powley, on his reply to Cambridgeshire County Councilof his opinion of the draft recommendations on the futureelectoral arrangements. It was the view of Isleham ParishCouncil that the previous comments made by the Council onthis issue still stand, i.e that Soham should not be divided, andall the surrounding villages be together.

D Cllr Report: D.Cllr. D. Beckett informed the Council, thatfunding is now available for the housing development atStation Rd, Fordham Road.

The plans by ECDC to move to other premises due to lack ofspace in the existing building, was still ongoing. It was theopinion of the Council that the new premises would be morebeneficial in the Soham area.

Highways & Footpaths: Letter received dated 9th March2004 with regards to the Four Cross Bridge, Worlington. Dueto the costs involved, it is very unlikely that a safety barrierwill be erected in the foreseeable future. The reflector postshave been put in place, and should help identify the potentialhazard to drivers.

Letter from Mr. D. Groom dated 22nd March 2004, informingthe Council that the potholes in the village will be filled andthe lining will be arranged in the new financial year startingin early April.

Letter received dated 19th March 2004 regarding variousstreetlights that need attention in the village. The faults listedin a letter by the Clerk will be actioned, and their contractorwill remove the old columns in Sun Street.

Recreation Ground Matters; The Clerk had received aninspection report from Wicksteed Leisure with regards to thePlay Area. Works were required to the Fun Buggy Tow Truckon Tiles, at a total cost of £84 plus VAT. It was alsoconsidered necessary that the Play Area be cleaned, as therewas excessive tree and leaf litter on the impact surface, whichcould cause potential slip and trip hazards. It was alsosuggested that a sign be provided listing emergency andowner/operator details that may provide assistance in theevent of an accident or damaged equipment, the location ofthe nearest pay phone would be beneficial. Work to the FunBuggy approved. The Clerk was also instructed to obtain aquote for cleaning/pressure washing the Play Area fromTruelink Ltd.

The Clerk informed the meeting that Mrs. Josie Bockingwould be leaving her job as grounds person in approximatelyone months time, due to moving to Fordham. The Clerk wasinstructed to advertise the vacancy for a new grounds person.

Isleham Cricket Club requested permission to use theRecreation Ground for Cricket matches for the 2004 season.Approved.

Village Hall Matters: At the last Committee meeting of theIsleham Twinning Association, discussion took place as tothe next visit by Nesles to Isleham in May or June 2004. Eachyear, since the twinning nearly ten years ago, families from

Nesles have visited Isleham annually and on these visits theCommittee provides a full meal for them and their hostfamilies. This social occasion has regularly taken place in theVillage Hall where a meal is provided for around eightypeople, sometimes more, by each member of the Committeedoing preparation and cooking at home and carrying food tothe Village Hall or alternatively using outside caterers. Bothof these options are very unsatisfactory, as, apart fromcooking larger quantities of food at home and taking it to thehall, the food cools in transit. Outside caterers are expensivefor the Association as the only funds available are what havebeen raised throughout the year. The Committee asked ifthere is likely to be any improvement in the near future to thekitchen facilities at the Village Hall. The cooker has only fourhot plates and there is no oven. Upgrading the kitchen cookerto one with six or eight rings and an oven together with acouple of microwaves would make a big difference. It wasthe opinion of the Council that there was, at present, a lack offunds to carry out improvements to the Village Hall kitchenfacilities. At the present time, the cooker is used very little inthe Village Hall, and having extra equipment to create a foodprep area could cause problems with regards to health andsafety issues.

Due to the resignation of almost all of the Village HallCommittee, it was felt by the Council that they should play amore active part in the control of their assets, to administerthem more strictly, and therefore overssee any problems ordifficulties as they arise from each individual Committee.Cllr. P.Chaplin was therefore appointed new Chairman of theVillage Hall Committee.

Correspondence: A meeting will be arranged for MrD.Robertson, Cambs. Fire & Rescue Service, to give apresentation to IPC on the new Integrated Risk ManagementPlan.

Letter received from E.Hoggart, ECDC, concerning standardsof conducts for members covering declaration of membershipof Freemasons, membership of potential party councilassociations and declaring interests at meetings.

Letter received from Mr. Styman, with regards to a reply he hadreceived from Mr. G.Tickner about the litter bins in Isleham. Hehad informed Mr. Styman that there is no finance available to doanything about the bins this financial year, but finance will beavailable in the year starting 6th April next. Sometime before theend of March he intends placing orders for larger bins. Mr.Styman suggested that perhaps an extra bin could be positionedagainst the West Street wall of the Co-op, as many customersleave the shop in that direction. Mr. Tickner will make enquiriesto that effect.

Plea to IPCIn Isleham there is very little to do if you're aged between11-16. We're too big for the park on the rec. and theAstroturf costs money. So the only thing left is sitting inyour house watching T.V. or biking around the streets.There are skateparks in Newmarket and other villages butthey are not so easy to get to. I propose for the second timethat we have a mini-ramp built on the rec or the new landthat has been bought. It would cost around £6000, but inthe long run you will give us something to keep usoccupied and we would be doing something we enjoy. Ihave found a company that will come to Isleham to do it.Please put some money towards it and we will try to fund-raise the rest. If you can't help who can I write to?

Patrick Tapley

In the SkyDue to other pressures we are too late to inform you aboutthe transit of Venus that occurred on 8th June from around6.40 a.m. to 12.00 noon. A planet transit is when a planetcrosses the face of the sun. Sky and Telescope quotes:

"No one alive today has seen this sight, and it happensonly twice this century. For the first time since 1882,Venus will glide across (transit) the face of the Sun onJune 8, 2004, taking a little more than 6 hours to completeits journey." If it is clear on 8th June, we should be able totake a photo for the next issue of the Informer.

Mars and Saturn are now low in the western sky at duskbut Jupiter is still high and bright and its moons are worthlooking at through binoculars. The Lyrids meteor showeron the night of 21st April was disappointing because ofcloud and mist but that seems to happen only too often inIsleham. However, the June Bootids might be better. Thisperiodic shower produced an outburst in 1998, and mightagain in 2004. Or, it might not! We'll just have to see.Themaximum is expected on Tuesday evening/Wednesdaymorning, June 22/23. It is not particularly spectacular butthe anticipated rate is around 10 meteors an hour. Lookhigh to the southwest from around 11 p.m. onwards. If yousee any and trace the trails back they will all appear tohave come from the shaded area on the map.

so"

Hercules

\

Map for finding the Bootids meteor shower

The predictions for the supposedly bright Neat comet werecompletely wrong. It has just about been visible to thenaked eye on very clear nights. The only really good bit ofnews is that quite respectable photos of Venus and Saturnwere taken on March 30l from Isleham.

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Islebam's ChurchesSenoices & Youth Groups

St Andrew's Parish Church1st Sunday of each month:

8.00 a.m. Prayer book communion10.00a.m. Family service10.00 a.m. Junior Church

All other Sundays:10.00 a.m. Common worship communion10.00 a.m. Junior Church in Social Centre.

Please note that there is a creche every Sunday

If you need to contact the (Church of England) Priestat Isleham, contact Christopher on 01638-780284.You may also call at 102 The Causeway, Isleham.CB7 5ST.

Pound Lane Free ChurchEvery Sunday:

Sunday Worship: 11.00 a.m. & 6.30 p.m.Church Night: Weds 7.30-9.00p.m.

Tuesdays: 7.30 p.m. Fellowship

Children and Young People's groupsKingdom Kids (3-7 yr old) Sunday 10.00-11.15 a.m.All Stars (8-11 yr old) Sunday 10.00-11.15 a.m.

and Monday Evening Club 7.00-8.00 p.m.Covies (12-1 Syr olds) Sunday 9.45-10.45 a.m.

and Thursday Evening Club

at 10.30am we will bein our special Fathers' Day

Special ServiceOn Sunday 20th Juneremembering our dadsFamily Service which will last approx. 1 hour and befollowed by refreshments. As always, a creche will beavailable for the younger children. Why not make a date tocome and worship our great God and at the same timeremember and give thanks for the men in our lives whohave that difficult and responsible role of being a dad!

Further information on any of the above can beobtained from:

Phone: 01638 781343 (church office)01638 780002 (anytime)

email: secretary @plfc.co.uk website: plfc.co.uk

You may contact Dave on 01638 780636 or by e-mailat CE@plfc.co.uk.

High Street ChurchEvery Sunday:10.30am. Morning Worship. Creches are available for 0-3year olds. Junior Church for 3-7 year olds from 10.30amto 12.30pm. Junior Church for 7-11 year olds from10.00am to 12.30pm.6.30pm. Evening Service

Tuesdays: "Rendezvous" for the over 50's is back at3.00pm. Contact the office for details.

Fridays: 9.15am. "Little Lambs" for babies topre-schoolers and their carers.

7.00pm. Prayer Walk & Youth Groups11-14 and 14-21's.

If you would like to attend any of the above, youwould be most welcome, and if you need any moreinformation, or help at any time, please contact theleadership team on

01638 780985 (church office)islehambap@aol.com (e-mail)

01638 721291 / 07713 465787 (anytime)

DeuosSt Andrew's Events

Bell RingingBell ringing practise every Friday at 7 p.m. New memberswelcome. Come along and clear the village!

For full details contact Janice Pope on 01638 780380.

Pound Lane Free ChurchAs you will see as you go by, work continues to go wellon our new church extension. As we write, the roof shouldsoon be completed and we can really begin to see what alovely and useful building our Lord is enabling us to have.We continue to be grateful for the co-operation of the folkwho live around plfc and the users of Pound Lane as theproject continues.

St Bernard's Manor was one of the centrepieces of thevillage a few hundred years back. It is still there but it istucked away at the back of West Street. It is less imposingnow because the main part was destroyed by fire manyyears ago. The reproduction of the old etching belowshows what it looked like before the facing wing wasdestroyed. Trees that have grown up over the time that theold manor has stood standing make it a little less easy torecognise now.

The photograph is from the Arthur Houghton Collection. Itwas in a very poor state with a hole in the middle, missingemulsion and sellotape down one edge. It has beenrestored by Tony Ferrige.

St Bernard's Manor before the fire

If you have any old, interesting photographs, do please letus borrow them so that we can add them to our collection.

10

Village HallIt seems as though everything is all change at the VillageHall - again! We have now been informed that GeoffGarbett is no longer the Chairperson of the Village HallCommittee and that this has now been taken on by PaulChaplin. If you have any queries concerning the VillageHall, please contact him on 01638 781745.

More committee members are still required. If you areprepared to help by serving on the Committee, pleasecontact Paul on the above number.

Stamped Out!Whilst visiting a friend in Scotland recently, Paul Chaplinof Jay Jay Lodge, Waterside, Isleham came home to findhis complete stamp collection had been stolen. Thecollection consisted of a complete Great Britain set of fourbooks from the Penny Black right through until April ofthis year's latest issue, all but eight of which were unusedMint Stamps. This part of his collection was estimated lastyear to be worth in excess of £150,000.

Along with this, he also lost a new complete collection of

King George VI Empire & Commonwealth in one book,and a collection of Queen Victoria, Edward VII andGeorge V, Empire & Commonwealth. This incompletecollection contained some very rare stamps from the earlyVictorian period, made up of two very large, red coveredbooks. He also had stolen a multitude of other stamps, butthese were not part of his main collection.

The estimated weight of what was taken was in excess of1701bs, so it is assumed that more than one person wasinvolved. Although Mr Chaplin has had some verygenerous donations of collections from all over thecountry, he has said that having taken 50 years to reach thelevel that his collection was at, he really appreciates thosepeoples' generosity, but doesn't think he will collectstamps again (as he said that he hasn't got another 50 yearsto play with!).

Paul has offered a reward in excess of £5,000 for thereturn of any sections of his collection. If you have anyinformation at all, please telephone Ely Police Station.

Books WantedUnclutter your home of books

We will collect them from you for a small fee of £\for petrol. Any amount considered.

Contact: Frances or Mark on 01638 780235or email brewgirl@fgrant22.fsnet.co.uk

Do you have hardbacks with covers intact, orpaperbacks in good order? We can act as youragent. Fee negotiable to cover handling, postage,etc. Any monies realised will be sent on to you assoon as die sale has been completed. Contactdetails as above.

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Spot the DifferenceWe had a lot of correct entries last time but Michaela Fair,East Fen Road was first out of the hat. This time we havemade it a little more difficult and there are 15 differencesbetween the cartoons below. Mark them on one of themand send it to us by 20th July. The competition is open toanyone up to the age of 14. The winner will receive £5.

The differences last time were: 1. Bus side light; 2. Busdoor window; 3. Bus exhaust gas; 4. Height of bus stop; 5.Stone in road; 6. Satchel patch moved; 7. Skateboarddesign at back filled in; 8. Front of skateboard different; 9.Grass tuft on left missing; 10. Girl's folder different length;11. Girl's purse larger; 12. Bush missing.

AnagramsSee how many words of 4 letters or more you can makefrom the words "Post Office". This is a little moredifficult and you will be doing pretty well to get 50.

Last time we asked you to make words from "ChurchLane". Here are 67 of the most common words. Accrue,acer, acne, acre, allure, arch, cache, cancer, cane, care,chancel, char, church, churn, clan, clean, clear, clench,clue, clunch, crane, cruel, crunch, cure, curl, each, earl,earn, hale, haler, hare, haul, hauler, haunch, heal, hear,hula, hunch, hurl, lace, lance, lancer, lane, larch, launch,launcher, lean, learn, lucre, lunar, lunch, lurch, lure, near,race, ranch, real, renal, rule, rune, ulcer, ulna, uncle,unclear, unlace, unreal, urea.

Serious QuestionLast time we asked you why recipes are different forcooking with chicken and duck eggs. If you've tried youwill know all about failures! The reason is that the proteinsin chicken and duck eggs are very different. The way theingredients blend and the chemical processes that occur onbaking are quite different and a new recipe is required.

Now to our serious question this time. Why is today'smeat tough compared with 50 years ago?

ISLEHAM UNDER FIVESJanice Gee brings us fully up to date with what has beenhappening at Isleham Pre-school

Today my son arrived home with a biscuit covered in redicing and sweets. He proudly announced that he was goingto share his handiwork with his younger sister and so, asteatime ended, I had a completely satisfied son, beamingwith pride and a daughter with a face full of red icing thattook a good scrub in the bath to erase - but then these arethe moments that we parents cherish and were nowhere tobe found in the Ofsted report!!! Talking of which

In February of this year, Isleham Pre-School underwenttheir Ofsted Inspection (yes and the chair forgot topublicise it - hence the tenuous link!). After a couple ofdays with our children (very brave) the Inspector grantedus a rather pleasant report. Much of the information givenabout the education that the children are receiving was tobe expected. It appears that our children are receiving the'Very Best' in nursery education! So now all we need is anew building but that's not something that we can changeovernight - unless someone out there has a few thousandgoing spare! However, may we thank everyone who hashelped to raise funds so far and encourage anyone whohasn't already to support our New Building Fund which weso desperately need.

This term, one of the highlights for the children was thepurchase of the butterfly pavilion. This was a great successand, as one child commented, "The colours on thebutterflies were all those found in the flowers and fruit thatthey ate". Talking of food

After half term, the Pre-School will be trialing a lunchtimeclub which will hopefully give the children who are about tostart full-time education one less hurdle to cross when theystart "Big School", and also give all the parents a little lessindigestion when trying to get their child to the group ontime.

Fund raising is always a struggle but our co-ordinatorhasn't faltered and continues to do us proud. As you maybe aware, our fundraising not only helps to provide thefacilities that the pre-school needs, but also the educationaltrip this year which is going to Ely Cathedral on June 24th.Aside from be able to see this magnificent piece ofarchitecture, the children will also be doing the shape trail.

Our final summer outing for both the pre-school childrenand the toddlers will take place on July 13th when all thechildren and parents are invited to join us on our trip toBanham Zoo. Oh, and talking of toddlers

"Toddler Time" which is also under the umbrella of IslehamUnder Fives Association is run by some of the mums onTuesday mornings from 9.15 a.m. to 11.15 a.m. in theVillage Hall and is now looking for someone new to takeover the reins in September. The job isn't too timeconsuming especially if there are two or three to help out. Itis a valuable facility for new mums. For further informationplease contact Alison Marsh, Jackie Taylor or LeanneDunsmuir.

On a final note, I'll leave you with two of the manyobservations made by the staff which help to make theirtime with the children more meaningful

Child whisking bubbles in a water tray. "I'm makingsausage rolls"

Child sequencing on the computer Star, Square. Star,Square, Star, Square Teacher: "What comes next?"Child: "DOG".

12

I/our LettersOur policy is that we will print anything that does not getus into trouble. If you wish to make a point, ask a questionor share an opinion, please write to us. The only rule is wewill not publish anonymous letters, so make sure that youprint your name.

We have received many comments about litter in thevillage. However, we have only received one formal letteron the subject from Chris Ginn. We are sure that Chris isnot alone and that his view is shared by most of us.

With a little hope that this letter might make a difference,most mornings I have been clearing up the litter that getsleft outside the Priory before I open the Garage. 1 do thisto try and make the environment look as attractive aspossible for people visiting the village that I have becomevery attached to. 1 don't somehow see the need to explainwhy they have just stepped into somebody's take a waymeal that was left the night before or, as this morning,vodka bottles have been left with the beer bottles that havebeen broken in the grass, or why the curry was tipped overthe seat next to the rubbish bin that is still empty!

What do I say about the three girls that spent their dayeating pre-packed sandwiches and smoking and then leavea ring of litter for someone else to clear up. I don't think ittakes much working out your parents don't know yousmoke, yet as every car that drives pass you hide your fagthat's on the go until you know it wasn't someone whoiniglii lei ihcin know! There arc those thai leave llieir littleplastic sealed bags there that I have to stop my kidspicking up and then have to explain that the substance thatwas in the bag was some form of drug.

1 pointlessly asked the person with the Ford if, when he isout there with his friends at night, could they please puttheir rubbish in the bin. Oh yes, I have picked up yourmissing mud-flap off your car when I cleared up therubbish the next morning from where you had beenparked. Are you still going to blame the others?

As I'm writing this I can see that someone else has juststarted to clear this mess up who is a resident of the villageso that, once again, the Priory can look clean and tidy. I'msure that there must be others who feel the same so pleasejust ask your kids to put their rubbish in the bins providedaround the village as they are usually empty and haveplenty of room in them.

Chris Ginn

When Helen Ginn was clearing up the mess one Sundaymorning with her daughter, Lucy, they found a £20 note. Ajust reward!!!! Ed.

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13

Saint Andrew's -ISLEHAMRestoration of the Church Roof

Ian Powys has been making a record of the restoration ofthe church roof. We will spread his account over this andanother two or three issues but the next issue will bereserved for Gala Day. Ian writes

Back on a cold February morning, with snow on theground, G & H Scaffolders started work inside and outsideSaint Andrew's Church. For years the small congregationhas raised money, little by little - coffee mornings, flowerfestivals, the Gala stand and latterly by the sale of resincasts of one of the 'angels' that fell from the roof backin 1998. At last, with the help of grants from EnglishHeritage and East Cambridgeshire and donations from thePeyton families and Societies inAmerica and elsewhere, work wasable to start. It all had to besqueezed into a 'window' betweenearly March and mid-May, bydecree of English Nature who saythere is a roost of pipistrelle bats inthe church, though not a sign or asqueak has been seen or heard of abat over the past three months.

The clerestory and roof were raised by Crystofer Peytonback in 1495 and were last inspected and repaired fourhundred and sixty years later, in 1955. We know thisbecause a workman left his sandwich packet on one of thebeams, together with a bottle of Coke and a copy of theBury Free Press supplement on the Earls Court Motor

Show, 1955.

Scaffolding in place

Work started on the removal of the slates on 8th March asthe church architect, the contractors and members of theParochial Church Council gathered on the north nave rooffor a site meeting. Over the next days a 'fen blow' ragedand nearly removed some of the plastic sheeting from the

scaffolding. But it was wellfixed and after a few repairsthe masons got to workrepairing dodgy stoneworkalong both nave parapets. Inmid-March a team ofspecialist wood conserversarrived to examine, recordand preserve the beams and

carvings. They came up from Exeter, bringing with themmany combined years of expertise on working in cathedraland church roofs in Britain and the United States. It hasbeen a privilege not granted to many to be able to examineclose up the intricate tracery, the carved angels and roofbosses which have been up there since 1495.

The church roof

Tiny details, never visible from the floor of the nave, werecarved into figures and faces - nothing but the best wasgood enough for the House of God for those 15th Centurycraftsmen. For those of you who may want to have areminder of the work, the 'Isleham Angel' which has beenon sale in aid of church funds since 1998 is still availableand we now have an 'Isleham Green Man' as well. Have alook, those of you who surf the web, atwww. greenmaneastanglia. co .uk.

Two of the angels carved into the woodwork of the roof

Isleham's Green Man is shownon the right. There are also twoother wonderful grotesque masksup in the roof and we have takena mould of one of those as wellas the 'Green Man' and willsoon have copies for sale.

Inside the roof old rusted iron screws and nails, medieval,Victorian as well as some from 1955, were replaced bystainless steel. Blocks were inserted between rafter androof boards where subsidence had caused gaps (and leaks)to appear. Where damp and woodworm had causedcarvings to become unstable, these were consolidated withinjections of epoxy resin.

Practically every beam up in the roof is peppered with birdshot. It does not seem that Cromwellian musketeers hadused the angels as targets, but rather that a succession ofvicars had called in local help to discourage pigeons!

Our grateful thanks to Ian for providing this feature on therestoration of St Andrew's roof. His account, along withmany photographs, will continue in the October issue ofyour Informer.

It is hoped to have a DVD of the restoration workavailable for sale at the Isleham Gala.

14

Joyces 5 CometMore wonderful stuff from Joyce Drayton about the past.

Days of Long AgoWe often talk of the days of long agoMen worked long hours and wages were lowNo telly, no radio, no bath, times were hardJust a pump or a well and a "loo" in the yard

On a visit at night they would rattle a tinCos during the day a rat might have crept inA candle and matches were under a pailNewspaper squares all hung on a nail

Grandad told of working away in the FenCome home weekends, work Monday againHis friend was the cock nearly every dayBut Grandad filled in if his friend was away

The fire was outside and cooking was slowThe men couldn't agree what should go in the doughGrandad made up his mind so there'd be no botherHe'd put onions in one end and jam in the other

No holidays then, no carpets on floorsThey burned wood and coal and never locked doorsGran had nine children, no pill in those daysAnd she brought them all up, without the state aids

Stew and dumplings were always a mustOr a nice meat pud with a good suet crustRabbit pie was a treat at the end the dayThen myxomatosis came our way

Milk fetched in a can had a nice frothy headGranny made wine and baked her own breadHer fruit pies were lovely, most days she would bakeBut we hated the taste or her weekly "seed" cake

When you were sick, you were treated at onceNo filling in forms, or come back in a monthMost families had troubles, most families had strifeBut they all had to face them because that was life

Joyce Drayton

Buggy Challenge!All Comers Electric Buggy Race

All of you know Offie (Arthur Whitehand) and youshould all know by now that he has challenged IanHumphreys to a buggy race on Gala Day.

The Gala Committee have set the time for thechallenge between Arthur and Ian for about 4 p.m. Atrophy will be presented to the winner called "TheIsleham Mid-Life Crisis Trophy". Thinking that thisaward should be more open, the event now invitesother electric buggy users to enter. The GalaCommittee also think that there should be a bit moreof a challenge and so they are inventing a type ofobstacle course. Entry is on the day - be very afraid!!

Come along all you buggy users and join the fun!

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15

SPORTS REPORTOur thanks to Karl Bates who has been threatening nastythings to people so that we can keep you informed andupdated with details of the Village's sporting activities.Well done, Karl - it worked!

BOWLS

As yet we have no fixtures or resultsfor the bowls. As and when we receive them we willkeep you up to date. In the meantime, please contactPat Houghton on 01638 780789 for details andconfirmation of matches.

FOOTBALL SEASONWell the football season is finally over

and it has been a very up and down season for bothIsleham sides on a Saturday and also the IslehamSunday side. Although they all showed in flashes thepotential each side has, the Saturday sides bothfinished mid table and the Sunday side ran out of gasand came in 3rd in their respective leagues.

The player of the year function was held at theIsleham Comrades Club on the 28th of May. Therewas a good turnout from both players and supportersalike and here are the award winners.

1st Team Manager's Player of the year: ChadMitchell (The worlds quickest changer)

2nd Team Manager's Player of the year: JasonTimmins (Seahorse)

Most Improved players: Simon Leverington andJack O'Keefe (Snorkle)

Young Player of the Year: Kevin Driver (The BigMan)

Top Goal scorer: Neil McKnight (Neezer)

Top Reserve Scorer: Ben Osier (Sonic)

And now for the Sunday Side.

Manager's Player of the Year: Jody (Ydoj) Bowman

Top Goal scorer: Jody (Ydoj) Bowman

Player's Players of the Year: Stuart King (Bart) andJody (Ydoj) Bowman

And last but by no means least, clubman of the yeargoes to Jason Timmins (Seahorse)

Also as a separate note, it has been a real plus thisyear to see the development of the youth teams inIsleham. We now run teams varying from under 5'sup to under 14's and a huge amount of thanks mustgo to the likes of Dave Fitchett and Bob Wade forputting in hours and hours on the training field.

Finally a big thank you goes to everyone involved inmaking Isleham the team it is and that is everyonefrom Colin Sheldrick and John Marks running the twoteams down to Bill Lyles making the tea at half time(lovely cuppa Bill).

§ CRICKETAs one season ends another begins andas football is put on the backburner, here

are a few details on the Isleham Cricket Club.

OFFICERSChairman - Mark GoldsackVice Chairman - Phillip AsplandSecretary - Alan WebberTreasurer - Jo Cant1st Team Captain - Dave Fitchett2nd Team Captain - Leighton SheldrickMidweek Captain - Stuart Dunsmuir

Unfortunately due to bad weather and the seasononly in its first few weeks, no results have come ourway at the informer. However, with the help of DanielCant I will be able to tell you how the team is fairingin the next issue. If anyone would like details on anyaspect of the cricket club, you may send an email toislehamcc@ukgateway.net.

POOL LEAGUEThis has been a great year for theIsleham sides in the Mildenhall and

District Pool League with the Griffin A runawaychampions of Division Two with the Rising Sunrunners up and Griffin B finishing in 6th place.

But that's not all, here are the results of the DivisionTwo Player of the Year Awards.

1. Tom Long (Griffin A) - 92% win rate2. A Quinn (Griffin A) - 87%3. R Smalley (Rising Sun) - 84%

Notice anything? That's right the 1, 2, 3 in the leagueare all Isleham players. Well done lads (well apartfrom Quinny, just kidding mate, top stuff).

I bet you thought the celebrating was over. Oh no, asin the Captains Cup tournament, Tom Long, Skipperof the Griffin A team claimed the trophy with asuccess rate of 87.5%. So overall Mr Long has donerather well and with the final of the singles to comehe could be on for an unprecedented treble. Fingerscrossed buddy.

Well that's just about it from me for this issue-. If youhave any comments, thoughts, etc. please don'thesitate to contact me on 07711306147 or email meon karl.bates@amec.com,

If you would like your sport covered on a regularbasis, please let me know.

16